Page 14 of Almost True
If his parting shot had a tiny ring of truth in it, so what? I already knew that. Chadwick Brantley wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know.
And now I had to figure out how to get ahold of Aidan and get him to talk to me, because the unsettled, anxious feeling in my chest wasn’t about dumping Chad to the curb. It had everything to do with realizing Aidan truly had no idea who I was and suspecting that now that he did, he wouldn’t want anything to do with me.
CHAPTEREIGHT
Aidan
John slid into the seat next to me. “MadelineReynolds?”
I glared at him.
“Seriously though?Madeline Reynolds!?”
“Can you not broadcast that? And why would I know who she is or what she looks like?” I caged my beer with my forearms and stared at the light layer of foam.
“Oh, I don’t know. She’s only been onForbes,Time, and every morning TV show promoting her book in the last few years.” Then he nodded. “Thanks, man.”
Kieran slid a beer across the bar to him. John brewed beer for a living—his stated dream job—but he always got a Guinness here, the weirdo.
“Have you ever known me to watch a morning television program?”
John scoffed. “Do you mean to sound like you’re ninety, or is this a joke?”
I grumbled and took a drink.
He snickered. “Television program.”
We sat, sipping beers, the buzz of Craic’s happy hour around us. I’d have to get Luca soon, but I needed a minute after the afternoon I’d had.
“So… how’d she look?”
I shot him a glare.
He held up a hand. “I’m not being weird, I’m just asking. You said you saw her yesterday and she looked good but kind of different, right? Like, different hair and stuff? So did she look different again? Like, does standing inside a multi-millionaire’s house automatically give you rose-colored glasses or something?”
“You are an idiot.”
He chuckled. “But seriously. Wassheupset? Or was it all on your end?”
I hadn’t even told him the worst part. “She was calm. Maybe slightly ruffled when she first saw me, but I’m not sure I can even assess that because I was freaking out.”
John grinned. “Now that’s not something I’d ever expect to hear you say.”
I glared at him again.
He beamed back at me like he’d never wanted anything more than to irritate me. Moments like this drove home our closeness more than anything else. They also made me pity his actual older brother.
He nudged me with his elbow until I gave him my full attention.
“You liked her a lot.”
“Based on two hours of interaction.” But enough that I’d ended up telling him about it a few weeks later when I couldn’t think about anything else. I hadn’t decided if it was better or worse that I wasn’t alone in knowing she’d never looked me up. I’d had nothing on her. You couldn’t exactly search “Maddie in Tech in New York” and find someone. But maybe “Aidan Tree Farm Silverton” would’ve gotten her somewhere.
“Yeah, but you were practically glowing when you texted me that you saw her and made plans.”
“I wasglowing? How did you detect that through a text message?”
“Come on, man. When you’re happy, it’s the best thing in the world. All of Silver Ridge Peak lights up when Aidan Wallace smiles.”
